


we'll dig a deep hole to bury the castle

by timeladyleo



Series: Project Theresa 2020 [1]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Gen, Project Theresa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25952242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeladyleo/pseuds/timeladyleo
Summary: Arthur and Theresa go for a walk in the park.
Relationships: Arthur Shappey & Theresa of Liechtenstein
Series: Project Theresa 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883584
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4
Collections: Project Theresa (Theresa Takeover 2016)





	we'll dig a deep hole to bury the castle

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Theresa Week! Title pinched from Paramore's "Brick by Boring Brick". Prompt was childhood.
> 
> My idea with this series is to form a loose narrative of Theresa on holiday with Martin some time after Zurich, staying in Fitton and hanging out with the gang, therefore meaning we can do some real nice character work with Theresa and each of the others. My usual, basically !

“I wish I’d had a sister.”

They were sat in the park. Late August, warm enough for a light coat, but cool enough to need it. The light bright and orange through the trees, promising colder weather on the way. Distant tractors mowing hay. Distant cars travelling somewhere. A distant dog barked. 

They were sat in the park because Arthur had invited Theresa for a walk while she and Martin were staying, because they were best friends and he wanted to show her all his favourite spots to go. The places he had always thought might be good to hang out with friends. 

At that moment, they were sat on a bench that was cut off from the main park by an overgrown hedge, twisting branches and leaves obscuring a clearing with a bench that overlooked a pond. The sort of place you only found if you went exploring in the hope of finding somewhere to hide. 

“Do you? I think it may be less fun than you imagine.”

“Yeah, I know. Mum always says ‘everyone wants what they don’t have’ but I always thought it might be fun to have a little sister to show stuff to. Or an older one, I think either might have been nice.”

“Being the oldest is no fun at all. Then again, royalty removes the fun from any situation. We were never allowed the time to act as children because by the time we got old enough to have some thoughts of our own, we were told we had to be ambassadors for our country, that our conduct had to be impeccable.”

A crow took off from the tree behind them, startling Arthur into both jumping and forgetting what he was going to say. He smiled, big and wide as ever, but Theresa was looking at his eyes, and though they crinkled along all their familiar lines, she could tell there was a loneliness there. A lifetime of being misunderstood. 

She could relate to that. 

She returned the smile, dropping her head onto his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Arthur.”

“Me too! You’re brilliant, and all those castles you’ve taken us to have been _super brilliant_ , like that one in-”

“No, listen.” She took his hand in both of hers, shut her eyes. It would be easier to deflect, to let the moment pass on the breeze and return to lighter conversation. But she wanted to say it. “I’ve never had a friend like you, like anyone at OJS. Everyone looks at me and sees royalty, but royalty don’t care about me. I’m the oldest, but Maxi is the important one…” 

“To us, you're just Martin's wife." She couldn't help the scoff that came out, which made Arthur turn slightly to look at her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but she was holding his hand in an iron grasp so he settled for squeezing her hand. “And our friend. Like our really good friend who gets us into cool castles and comes round to hang out all the time, basically like family. You’re like the cool sister I always wanted.”

“My sisters would not agree with you.”

“Yeah, and that’s probably why I think you’re cool. Brilliant, even. Even Mum doesn’t care that you’re royal any more because she knows how cool you are. And I think she likes having a friend who isn’t a pilot.”

“However did you learn to be so diplomatic?” 

Arthur shrugged. “I’m not actually completely stupid. And I don’t want my friends to be sad more than anything else in the world, and you’re my best friend so that goes double.”

They watched the sunlight ripple over the pond, dark shapes of fish and rubbish moving below the surface. Unspeaking. There was more to say, so much more to comment on about responsibility and acting. 

_All the world’s a stage,_ she thought, and smiled. Carolyn had been complaining bitterly the other day about Herc taking her to a Shakespeare – not because it was Shakespeare, but because it was a terrible production and he knew she’d hate it. Arthur hadn’t even looked up from his comic, nodding as Carolyn addressed them. 

How many moments like that had he seen? 

When had he learned to escape into books instead of looking reality in the eye? She had done the same, making herself read difficult books in English, in German, in French, forcing herself to remember difficult words to sound refined in any language she wanted. Using a fabric book cover to hide the pulpy romances she read at functions instead of interacting with Dukes and Marquesses, Princes who thought she was naïve enough to take advantage of her. 

She had been told off for that, too. She was supposed to be finding a husband, after all. She was supposed to be making herself good for something, not sticking her nose in a book instead. 

What was Arthur hiding in the pages of his book? She felt like she could guess. 

Another breeze swept through the trees, rustling them angrily, leaving a chill on Theresa’s skin. 

“Do you want ice cream?” Arthur shuffled his hand and she released it, smiling apologetically as he shook the life back into it. 

“I would love ice cream.”

“Brilliant! The van won’t have left yet. Let’s go!” He stood and held out his arm to her. She took it with a smile. Best friends, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr at [sircarolyn](https://sircarolyn.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
